Our Commitment to the Environment and our Community

The expressions “environmental stewardship” and “commitment to the community” are two of those catch phrases that have grown old and tired and often times, for me at least, rattle around in an empty chamber somewhere in my head before going out the other ear. The problem is that it’s easy to insert them in marketing literature, in web sites, and during conversations, and they make us feel good. But it’s harder to gauge the implementation of these words and to actually see results.

Nevertheless these two concepts, when really considered, are deeply meaningful and deeply important to our co-existence and success as a human race. Since we first started dreaming and considering what Pura Vida Ride would be over a pitcher of margaritas, these two ideas repeatedly surfaced as being foundational to how we wanted to operate our business and how we wanted to participate in our local community.

What has taken some time has been identifying the right avenues in which to express these commitments through authenticity such that we are not just adding these expressions as lip service, but can demonstrate through real results our commitment to environmental stewardship and to the community in which we live.

As a result, we are now proud to be members of 1% for the Planet, and Guardians of La Paz. Here is a bit more on each of these organizations and why we have chosen to partner with them in our business.

Since its inception in 2002, the 1% network has become one of the largest funders of environmental work around the world. Membership consists of more than 1,400 businesses in 38 countries, together giving over $15 million annually to over 2,000 environmental groups worldwide. To date, 1% for the Planet has initiated over $50 million in environmental giving.

Pura Vida Ride is proud to be one of 5 Costa Rican companies that are members of 1% for the Planet. Every year, 1% of our gross revenue is given to a participating non-profit of 1% for the Planet. The best part of all is that our money stays local, and we have the opportunity to contribute to Costa Rican causes and keep our money working in our national and local community!

Guardians of La Paz are community and business leaders who significantly support La Paz Community School through financial contributions and other services in its mission of positive social and cultural development for the Guanacastecan, Costa Rican, and global community. Pura Vida Ride is a proud Guardian of La Paz, and we actively and regularly contribute to the sustainability and expansion of the school’s core objectives.

La Paz Community School is a non-profit, primary, secondary, and preschool that has secured International Baccalaureate (IB) candidate status and offers progressive experiential bilingual education to the culturally and economically diverse children of Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Through its Mission and Objectives, the school prepares students to become thoughtful, contributing citizens and future leaders in the local, national, and global community.

La Paz students are taught at a young age to be active stewards of their “self, family, community, and world” through the La Paz Peace Practices.

50% of the school population is Costa Rican and the other 50% represent over 20 countries from around the world. 25% of the student population is involved in the school’s scholarship program, which offers financial assistance to dedicated and talented local youth. These children come from families whose median income is approximately $500 per month and hail from a geographic area spanning 25 miles of the Guanacaste Coast. When you support us at Pura Vida Ride, we hope you are proud to know that you are also supporting both 1% for the Planet as well as the La Paz Community School.